Brazil is in the past, but the hearts and minds of men's soccer fans everywhere are already beginning to dream of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. It's never too early, you see, to consider the glory, possibilities and drama that come with the biggest stage in sports.

The United States Men's National Team (USMNT) officially starts its long journey to the 2018 World Cup on Wednesday in Prague, where it takes on host Czech Republic in an international friendly. It's the USMNT's first match since losing to Belgium in heart-breaking fashion in the 2014 World Cup's knockout stage.

Here's what you need to know before the match to keep your USMNT fandom going.

When, where and how to watch

The match kicks off at 2:15 p.m. ET. It's being broadcast on NBCSN (formerly known as the NBC Sports Network). You can also watch via computer or smartphone using the NBC Sports Live Extra app, but you'll need cable login credentials to do so.

The Czech Republic hasn't qualified for a World Cup since 2006, and is currently ranked 35th in FIFA's world rankings (the U.S. is ranked 18th).

What's at stake?

Jozy Altidore will suit up for the USMNT for the first time since getting hurt in its first World Cup game in Brazil.

Image: Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

For the team as a whole: nothing. It's a friendly, so the results don't actually count for anything. But for many of the players who will don the red, white and blue, it's a critical chance to make a favorable impression on USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann to remain in the U.S. Soccer picture when the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign begins.

It's also a prime opportunity for American soccer fans to get to know — or even see for the first time — prospects and younger players who will undoubtedly play major roles in U.S. soccer in the coming years. Who knows? The USMNT's big star at the 2018 World Cup in Russia could be someone who takes the pitch to little fanfare on Wednesday.

The USMNT also has major international tournaments coming each of the next two summers, so there's no shortage of motivation for the players in Prague to do well Wednesday.

Out with the old, in with the new (for now)

Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey: Not making the trip to Prague.

Image: Ricardo Mazalan/Associated Press

Here are some players you probably recognize from Brazil, but won't see suited up for the U.S. on Wednesday: Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Jermaine Jones, Kyle Beckerman, Omar Gonzalez, Graham Zusi and Matt Besler, just to name a few.

Why? Most of those guys play in MLS. Because Wednesday's match is in Prague, Klinsmann selected a roster almost exclusively made up of players who ply their trade for European club teams. He also chose a roster of younger players who can use all the seasoning and evaluation they can get.

“It’s an especially good opportunity for us to look at the younger players based in Europe, which we don’t get to do very often because of their schedules," Klinsmann said last week. "We can’t bring them into the January camp where we get to work with a lot of the up-and-coming talent, so for players like Joe Gyau, Emerson Hyndman, Rubio Rubin and Bobby Wood, it’s a great chance for them to experience our environment, and for us we get to know these guys better and see what they can do.”

Rest assured players such as Bradley, Dempsey, Gonzalez, Zusi and Besler will be back on the U.S. team when the matches start to count again. Meanwhile, here's the full USMNT roster Klinsmann called into camp for Wednesday's friendly (club teams in parentheses):

Julian Green watch continues

Julian Green's World Cup goal against Belgium has many USMNT fans salivating about his future.

Image: Themba Hadebe/Associated Press

Green — an extremely talented but unproven 19-year-old — came out of nowhere this spring to land a spot on the USMNT squad for Brazil after Klinsmann persuaded him to commit his international future to the U.S. over Germany, where he also has citizenship. Green then warmed the bench before coming on in extra time against Belgium to score a goal on the first World Cup touch of his career, and become the youngest player to score in a World Cup since Lionel Messi in 2006.

The next three-and-a-half years will be critical for his growth from intriguing prospect to featured player with the USMNT, and that journey begins Wednesday with the dawn of a new World Cup cycle. Look to see how he performs as a focal point of the team, how much confidence he displays on the attack, how he interacts with other young teammates and how he holds up against bigger, stronger defenders.

The weekend also brought good news about Green from an American perspective. Bayern Munich — one of the world's top clubs, but one log-jammed with more seasoned talent ahead of him — just loaned Green to Hamburg for the season. It's a win-win-win situation: Green will get more playing time and much-needed experience, Klinsmann and other USMNT coaches will get a better look at what he can do and Bayern can let him develop in real games instead of watching global superstars from the bench.

Life after Tim Howard starts now

American goalkeeping hero Howard announced in August that he's taking a very well-deserved break from international competition for at least the next year. At 35 years old, whether Howard returns to the squad in any full capacity — and especially whether he starts in goal in 2018 — is no sure thing.

That's why Life After Tim essentially starts on Wednesday.

Brad Guzan, who starts for Aston Villa in the English Premier League, is widely believed to be Howard's heir apparent, but Real Salt Lake goalie Nick Rimando provides some stiff competition for the starting spot. Rimando is the lone MLS player Klinsmann called to camp for the Czech Republic match, and the coach says each man will play a half on Wednesday.

How Guzan and Rimando perform in Prague won't make or break either of them — far, far from it, in fact. The road to Russia is long and unpredictable, but we already know two things for sure: The journey starts Wednesday against the Czech Republic, and 2018 can't get here soon enough.

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